The present disclosure relates to, for example, a construction for securing a trim strip to an automotive door disposed on a side of a car. In particular, the present disclosure belongs to a technical field of a construction, which involves securing a trim strip to a window frame.
Doors provided to a side of a car include a door having a window frame holding a circumferential edge of a window glass, and a door having no window frame; that is, a door having a frameless window. In the case of a door having a window frame, the window frame has a sealing member disposed to seal a gap between a circumferential edge of an opening of a body of the car and a circumferential edge of the window frame. Furthermore, the window frame has a trim strip secured thereto from an outside of a compartment of the car.
Known examples of constructions of doors having a window frame are disclosed in various literatures such as Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2012-106715, Japanese Patent No. 5248885, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. H07-195942. A window frame in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2012-106715 has an upper frame edge extending along a roof of the body. The upper frame edge is provided with a door flange protruding toward an outside of the compartment. The door flange is provided with a sealing member covering the door flange from the outside of the compartment. The door flange has a recess formed on an upper face of a base end of the door flange. This recess receives a protruding outer periphery engaging portion provided to the sealing member.
Moreover, Japanese Patent No. 5248885 discloses a door flange provided to a window frame and protruding toward an outside of a compartment of a car. The door flange has an end, close to the outside of the compartment, bending to form a protrusion protruding upward. To this door flange, a metal trim strip is secured. The metal trim strip is molded out of a metal plate. The metal trim strip includes an exterior portion. An upper portion of the exterior portion is provided with an elastic securing edge shaped into a recess to house the protrusion of the door flange; whereas, a lower portion of the exterior portion is provided with a glass run holder.
Furthermore, the window frame in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. H07-195942 is provided with a door flange protruding toward an outside of a compartment of a car. This door flange has an end, close to the outside of the compartment, bending to form a protrusion protruding upward. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 of this patent application, the door flange has a recess formed on an upper face of the door flange. Then, a trim strip is secured to the door flange to cover the door flange from the outside of the compartment. The trim strip has a protrusion formed to engage in the recess of the door flange.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2012-106715 discloses a construction in which the outer periphery engaging portion of the sealing member engages in the recess formed on the base end of the door flange protruding toward the outside of the compartment. However, a tip of the door flange is merely inserted into the sealing member, and, in this construction, the tip fails to be secured to the sealing member. Hence, if external force is assumed to be applied to the sealing member when, for example, a window glass is closed, the sealing member could move away from a predetermined securing position such that an exterior appearance of the door becomes unattractive, and, in the worst case scenario, the sealing member could come off.
Moreover, in Japanese Patent No. 5248885, the trim strip could be secured to the protrusion on the tip of the door flange, but not to the base end of the door flange. Hence, if external force is assumed to be applied to the trim strip, the trim strip could move away from a predetermined securing position, and, in the worst case scenario, the trim strip could come off.
Furthermore, in the construction disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. H07-195942, the protrusion of the trim strip engages in the recess formed on the base end of the door flange. However, the protrusion is merely inserted into, and not secured to, the base end of the door flange. Hence, if external force is assumed to be applied to the trim strip, the trim strip could move away from a predetermined securing position, and, in the worst case scenario, the trim strip could come off.